Apparatus



(No Model.)

J. MOOREATH.

WOOL DRYING APPARATUS. I N0. 590,901. Patented Sept. 28,1897.

I! III/I I Ill/ l/l/l/ ll Ill/l UNITED STATES PATENT Ornicn.

JOHN MCCREATH, on INVERCARG-ILL, NEW ZEALAND.

WOOL-DRYING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of I etters latent No. 590,901, dated September 28, 1897.

Application filed October 1,1896. 2 Serial No. 607,582. No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OHN ll/IOCREATH, iron founder, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Invercargill, in the British Colony of New Zealand, have invented new and useful Improvements in Wool-Drying, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the drying of wool and other materials, and has for itsobject the providing of a process by which a con-' tinual draft of hot air is drawn through suction-pipes and forced by a fan or blower into a drying box or tank whichcontains a series of endless nettin gs stretched on revolving rollers, the nettings being so arranged as to carry the wool or other material through the hot air and finally deliver it outside the drying box or tank in a perfectly dry state, all as more fully hereinafter described, and shown in the drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front view of a machine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a side view of the same-with one side of the drying box or tank removed to show the endless nettings stretched around the rollers. Fig. 3 is a top View of the machine with the top partly open, showing part of an endless netting.

A is the fan or blower.

B is the drying box or tank.

0 is the furnace or heating-box.

D is the delivery-pipe, which forms a connection between the heating or fire box-and the air box or tank.

E E are'the suction-pipes. A

F is the shaft of the fan or blower.

G G are the bearings for the shaft of the fan.

H H are the open ends of the suction-pipes for the entrance of air.

I is the sliding door to admit cold air.

K is the damper.

L is. theset of ripples.

M M are the nettings.

O O are the rollers.

P P are the bearings for the rollers.

It is clearthat my invention consists of and operates as follows: The parts are a fan A, the air box or tank B, and a fire-box or heating-box O, which forms a connection between the said fan or blower A and the air box or tank B. The bottom of the delivery-pipe D from the said fan or blower to the said air heated by the same fire.

box or tank forms the top of the heating-box O, whilethe suction-pipes form the sides of the said fire or heating box. The shaft F of the said fan or blower A comes through the said suction-pipes E and is held by the bearingsG, which are attached on the outside of the said suction-pipes E. The far end of the suction-pipes will be open at H to allow the entrance of the air. along the sides of the fire into the fan. or blower A is then forced over the top of the fire through the delivery-pipe D into the drying box or tank 13. Thus the air is doubly On the suctionpipes .ata point close to the fan or blower A are two sliding doors I to allow the entrance of cold air if required to'cool the heated air. A damper K is fitted in the delivery-pipe D to regulate the current of air. The deliverypipe after leaving the fire is widened out to the full width of the air box or tank B. The air after being heated is forced by the fan or blower A into the bottom of the said air box or tank B through the delivery-pipeD,whence it meets the set of ripples L, placed the full length of the air box or tank B crosswise and slightly above the bottom. The ripples L guide the air upward, distributing it through all thenettings M until it finally escapesat the top of the box.

At each end of the air box or tank B are rollers O, placed in pairs'at different heights, around which are stretched endless nettings M. The top netting is three or more inches shorter than the air-box, at the far end to which the wool or other material is fed on. The netting below is shorter at the opposite end and travels in the opposite direction. The next netting is similar to the top one in length and movement, and so on alternately until the bottom netting is reached, and this one extends the full length of the box and slightly outside through an opening. It is to be noted that the nettings are not limited in number.

rollers 0 being set in motion carry the net-- tings M around with them, and the material to be dried, being fed onto one end of the top The air being drawnnetting, is carried its full length, then falls down to a lower netting, which carries it its full length, then falls down to the next lower netting, which carries it its full length to the opposite end of the box, .where the material falls to the next netting below, and so on, until the material reaches the bottom netting, which finally discharges it out of the said air box or tank 13 in a thoroughly dry state, caused by its passage on the nettings for a sufiicient period through the hot air, the hottest air reaching the wool in its last stage of drying. The rollers O are held by bearings P attached to the side of the air box or tank 13, and are sliding, so as to tighten the nettings, if desired. The top of the said air box or tank B can be open or partly closed as desired. The fire is an ordinary furnace G and is placed under the said delivery-pipe and between the said suction-pipes E. After leaving the furnace O the flame and heat of the fire are carried by means of a flue under the said air box or tank B down along one side to the far end, where they cross to the other side, down which theyare carried to the funnel or stack. An ordinary ash-pit is provided below the fire for the draft and ashes.

hat I claim as my invention is 1. 111 an apparatus for drying wool, the combination of a drying-box, a series of endless foraminous belts therein, rolls carrying each belt in an opposite direction to the movement of the adjacent bolt, the arrangement being such as to enable the wool to pass from any one of said belts to the one next below, and the lowermost belt being carried at its delivery end through the end wall of the drying-box, a plurality of upwardly and rearwardly inclined ripples arranged in the bottom of the drying-box, a heater, an air-foreing mechanism for forcing air from said heater into said drying-box beneath the ripples, and a flue leading from the combustion-ehamber of the heater beneath the drying-chamber, substantially as described.

2. In apparatus for drying wool, the combination with a drying-box, of a furnace arranged near one end thereof, suetion-pipes forming the sides of said furnace and opening into the atmosphere at their ends adjacent to the drying'box, a fan blower connected to the opposite ends of said suction-pipes, a heater-chamber forming the top of the furnace and connected at one end with the discharge of said fan-blower, and a flaring delivery-pipe leading from the opposite end of said chamber to the bottom of the dryingbox, substantially as described.

JOHN MCOREATH. lVitnesses:

I-IENToN MAOAULAY DAVEY, CHARLES EDWIN DAVEY. 

